"Obviously he will be treated differently" - Gian van Veen and Vincent van der Voort on preferential treatment of Luke Littler

The past Grand Slam of Darts was a triumph for Luke Littler. The 17-year-old Englishman defeated Martin Lukeman 16-3 in the final. In the last sixteen, however, Littler narrowly escaped elimination after a 10-9 win against Mike De Decker.

Afterwards, there was a lot to do about the whistling from the crowd during the match. Especially the fact that referee Kirk Bevins did not intervene after De Decker asked for it was met with a lot of misunderstanding. Fellow darters Vincent van der Voort and Gian van Veen speak of preferential treatment for Littler.

That Littler enjoys preferential treatment from the PDC, you heard many people say. "That is of course true and not at all surprising. If you look at what that boy brings in in terms of extra sponsorship and money, you're treated differently," Van der Voort said in the podcast 'Darts Draait Door'. 

Gian van Veen was also a guest on the podcast and could agree with Van der Voort's words. "I don't find that so strange either, that the absolute top is treated differently than the rest," he said.

Van Veen has also experienced himself that some darters are allowed more than others. "On the Pro Tour I didn't, but on the Development Tour I noticed it. If, with all due respect, a nobody is late to his job, he gets taken out of the tournament before I do. They're going to look for me one more time, that way. I could get more done on the Development Tour, other darters probably won't."

 Van der Voort is known for always giving his opinion openly and honestly, even if it is negative for the PDC. Therefore, the 48-year-old Dutchman certainly does not have to count on preferential treatment. "I have certainly not been treated differently," he laughs. "I was rather the one who was disadvantaged."